10 Steps to Writing a Succesful Book Report

10 Steps to Writing a Succesful Book Report A book report should contain the basic elements, but a good book report will address a specific question or point of view and back up this topic with specific examples, in the form of symbols and themes. These steps will help you identify and incorporate those important elements in a process that takes three to four days. How To Write a Book Report Have an objective in mind, if possible. Your objective is the main point you want to argue or the question you plan to answer. Sometimes your teacher will offer a question for you to answer as part of your assignment, which makes this step easy. If you have to come up with your own focal point for your paper, you may have to wait and develop the objective while reading and reflecting on the book.Keep supplies on hand when you read. This is very important. Keep sticky-note flags, pen, and paper nearby as you read. Dont try to take mental notes. It just doesnt work.Read the book. As you read, keep an eye out for clues that the author has provided in the form of symbolism. These will indicate some important point that supports the overall theme. For instance, a spot of blood on the floor, a quick glance, a nervous habit, an impulsive actionthese are worth noting.Use your sticky flags to mark pages. When you run into any clues, mark the page by placing the sticky note at the beginning of the relevant line. Mark everything that piques your interest, even if you dont understand their relevance. Note possible themes or patterns that emerge. As you read and record emotional flags or signs, you will begin to see a point or a pattern. On a notepad, write down possible themes or issues. If your assignment is to answer a question, you will record how symbols address that question.Label your sticky flags. If you see a symbol repeated several times, you should indicate this somehow on the sticky flags, for easy reference later. For instance, if blood shows up in several scenes, write a b on the relevant flags for blood. This may become your major book theme, so youll want to navigate between the relevant pages easily.Develop a rough outline. By the time you finish reading the book, you will have recorded several possible themes or approaches to your objective. Review your notes and try to determine which view or claim you can back up with good examples (symbols). You may need to play with a few sample outlines to pick the best approach.Develop paragraph ideas. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence and a sentence that transitions to the next paragraph. Try writing these first, then filling out the paragraphs with your examples (symbols). Dont forget to include the basics for every book report in your first paragraph or two. Review, re-arrange, repeat. At first, your paragraphs are going to look like ugly ducklings. They will be clunky, awkward, and unattractive in their early stages. Read them over, re-arrange and replace sentences that dont quite fit. Then review and repeat until the paragraphs flow.Re-visit your introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph will make the critical first impression of your paper. It should be great. Be sure it is well-written, interesting, and it contains a strong thesis sentence. Tips The objective: Sometimes it is possible to have a clear objective in mind before you start. Sometimes, it is not. If you have to come up with your own thesis, dont stress about a clear objective in the beginning. It will come later. Recording emotional flags: Emotional flags are merely points in the book that bring about emotion. Sometimes, the smaller the better. For example, for an assignment for The Red Badge of Courage, the teacher might ask students to address whether they believe Henry, the main character, is a hero. In this book, Henry sees lots of blood (emotional symbol) and death (emotional symbol) and this causes him to run away from the battle at first (emotional response). He is ashamed (emotion). Book report basics: In your first paragraph or two, you should include the book setting, time period, characters, and your thesis statement (objective). Re-visiting the introductory paragraph: The introductory paragraph should be the last paragraph you complete. It should be mistake-free and interesting. It should also contain a clear thesis. Dont write a thesis early on in the process and forget about it. Your point of view or argument may change completely as you re-arrange your paragraph sentences. Always check your thesis sentence last.

History of LEGO -- Everyones Favorite Building Blocks

History of LEGO Everyone's Favorite Building Blocks The small, colorful bricks that encourage a childs imagination with their multitude of building possibilities have spawned two movies and Legoland theme parks. But more than that, these simple building blocks keep children as young as 5 engaged in creating castles, towns and space stations and anything else their creative minds can think of. This is the epitome of the educational toy wrapped up in fun. These attributes have made LEGO an icon in the toy world. Beginnings The company that makes these famous interlocking bricks started as a small shop in Billund, Denmark. The company was established in 1932 by master carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, who was aided by his 12-year-old son Godtfred Kirk Christiansen. It made wooden toys, stepladders, and ironing boards. It wasnt until two years later that the business took the name of LEGO, which came from the Danish words LEg GOdt, meaning play well. Over the next several years, the company grew exponentially. From just a handful of employees in the early years, LEGO had grown to 50 employees by 1948. The product line had grown as well, with the addition of a LEGO duck, clothes hangers, a Numskull Jack on the goat, a plastic ball for babies and some wooden blocks. In 1947, the company made a huge purchase that was to transform the company and make it world-famous and a household name. In that year, LEGO bought a plastic injection-molding machine, which could mass produce plastic toys. By 1949, LEGO was using this machine to produce about 200 different kinds of toys, which included automatic binding bricks, a plastic fish and a plastic sailor. The automatic binding bricks were the predecessors of the LEGO toys of today. Birth of the LEGO Brick In 1953, the automatic binding bricks were renamed LEGO bricks. In 1957, the interlocking principle of LEGO bricks was born, and in 1958, the stud-and-coupling system was patented, which adds significant stability to built pieces. And this  transformed them into the LEGO bricks we know today. Also in 1958, Ole Kirk Christiansen passed away and his son Godtfred became head of the LEGO company. By the early 1960s, LEGO had gone international, with sales in Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, and Lebanon. Over the next decade, LEGO toys were available in more countries, and they came to the United States in 1973. LEGO Sets In 1964, for the first time, consumers could buy LEGO sets, which included all the parts and instructions to build a particular model. In 1969, the DUPLO series, bigger blocks for smaller hands, was introduced for the 5-and-under set. LEGO later introduced themed lines of LEGO. They include town (1978), castle (1978), space (1979), pirates (1989), Western (1996), Star Wars (1999) and Harry Potter (2001). Figures with movable arms and legs were introduced in 1978. By 2015, LEGO toys were sold in more than 140 countries. Since the middle of the 20th century, these small plastic bricks have sparked the imagination of children around the world, and LEGO sets have a strong hold on their place at the top of the list of the worlds most popular toys.

Airline or Credit Card Membership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Airline or Credit Card Membership - Essay Example This can be seen from the program’s logical options to add member, cancel member, update member information or view member information. Details that can be viewed are the member name, address, phone number, points, address, phone number, notes and member ID number. The other options that exist are to add points for a member, minus points, redeem gift certificates for a member and give the annual present. IV. System Design This is a logic system design for the project. The inner circle is the logical next step to the user’s logging in to the system (Yeates & Wakefield, 2003: 42). The outer cordon and its connectives check the various options, for example, is the user active or not, is she eligible for a reward or not. V. Possible Future Extensions to the Present Design Possible future extensions to the present design might include choice of selection of rewards for users depending on their accumulated points. Not only Gold members should be rewarded, there should also be something for Silver members, Platinum and Bronze, depending on the range of points accumulated during the year. The choice of rewards also makes it more worthwhile for members, when they can choose to accumulate reward points till their target reward can be purchased. This was a good exercise in programming and logic and has not only made the team more aware of the options possible but in doing so also helped them think out of the box to incorporate more options into the scheme that the users are sure to appreciate and enjoy.

Film Commentary about Lotte Reiniger's Adventures of Prince Achmed Essay

Film Commentary about Lotte Reiniger's Adventures of Prince Achmed - Essay Example Also, the preservation of the original music score by the library of congress helped in the restoration of the film. Animation of the characters is evident in the film. They have been depicted and designed out of a black sheet of paper and made to move on backgrounds that are lit and photographed from above. It is evident that Reiniger has used simple techniques, but the film that was compiled by the British Film Institute to commemorate her work is highly sophisticated. The Dr Dolittle shorts are irresistibly enchanting as each animal in the menagerie has its own defined personality. At the scene where Dr. Dolittle boat runs into trouble on the route to Africa, the chattering duck retrieved the doctor’s top hat from the ocean waves. The chubby pig was also scared to use the ship and opted for a piggyback ride to the show. The monkeys that the Dr Dolittle found at his destination appeared as complex and individual portraying the best live-action characters in the film. The act of the animals was perfect as Reiniger spent hours at the Tiergarten in Berlin, where she studied the animals close ly to monitor their movements (Reiniger, 1926). The paper cut-out symbolized the characters and other features in the film. The research carried out enabled the paper cut-outs to be maneuvered by sheets of lead. This manual practice made the animation more charming and truer-than-life. The potential of errors resembles the current computer generated smoothness. It is also apparent that after viewing Reiniger’s animation through many years of continuous 3-D invention, it still possess more ‘life’ Thus, has enabled Reiniger to stand out (Reiniger, 1926). The adventures of Prince Achmed film are recognized as an early example of filmmaking. This is shown by the mechanical magic lantern slides, hints of vaudeville theatre that has sequences of acrobatic physical comedy and the separate

Business of Being Born Essay Example for Free

Business of Being Born Essay There is a culture of â€Å"women-only† that runs rampant in spaces for pregnant women. Much of the talk is about how valuable women find the support of other women. It also excludes men from the process and experience of pregnancy, as much as they can experience it. Overall the film focuses on the fact that women have been told they’re not responsible for their birth. Katsi Cook, a Mohawk women and Native women’s health activist said she â€Å"believes that the relationship of trust and respect between a woman and her midwife empowers the woman to ask questions and obtain the information she needs to make real choices about her health and life. (The Mother’s Milk Project, 611) In the film, Ricki Lake wanted to explore women’s â€Å"rite of passage,† by giving the power back to the women. There’s this idea since hospitals are a business that once they â€Å"facilitate† an intervention has been started and it becomes a domino effect after that. When these interventions have started, the questions: â€Å"what’s best for the baby? † â€Å"Is the baby going to benefit from this or not? † need to be well thought out. According to Overview of Maternity, â€Å"medical evidence shows that the routine use of unnecessary interventions put mothers and babies at risk. In the film Marsden Wagner M. D. , stated that there is no history of worthy obstetrical practices and careful studies of the long-term effects of the interventions. The United States has gotten away from midwifery starting in 1955, only 1% of births took place at home. The culture shift portrayed midwives as â€Å"vestige of the old country. † Midwives were understood as dirty, ignorant and illiterate. Now midwives are often perceived as unprepared. Once doctors started graduating from medical school, business took over the birthing process. Births then went into the hospitals and midwives did not follow. The concept of normal changed. Midwives often lack available and affordable malpractice insurance; because of this midwives are then perceived â€Å"inferior† to physicians. Overview of Maternity states â€Å"Midwives recognize birth as a normal, natural process and support the use of less invasive techniques, such as position changes, waiting, hydrotherapy, and perinatal support, that carry fewer risks to mothers and babies and are usually more effective. † Another effect the culture has on the lack of midwives is when the culture as a whole insinuates that birth s scary and dangerous. Yes, there will always be some sort of risks when it comes to birth. However, that is where I believe technology has had a positive effect on birth. More than less, we are now able to detect the dangers ahead of time. The film associates the amount of trust we put into hospitals and technology is reflected upon our infant-mortality rate. Our neonatal statistics are not the greatest. In the film midwives and hospitals are not looked to blame. It is our diverse population that distorts those statistics in where we stand in the world. The argument presented in this film to revitalize midwifery focused generally on the idea of pain suffered during birth was the only way to feel accomplished and provide love for their baby. However, I completely disagree. Women that undergo C-sections and even families that adopt can have the same amount of love for their children as the women that endure pain during birth do. Normal births are not medical issues, yet they may turn into life threatening issues within seconds. Not all women are the same, they have different difficulties, and some even have disabilities that impact their birthing process. Which then increases the risks. According to Overview of Maternity, â€Å"Research shows that midwives are the safest birth attendants for most women, with lower infant and maternal mortality rates and fewer invasive interventions such as episiotomies and surgical births (cesareans). † Optimum outcome of the mother and child is based on how open to suggestions we are with midwives and patient satisfaction. The validity of your options must always be questioned. The safety of the birthing process is going to vary depending on the training, patient choice, and circumstances on geographical constraints.

Music File-Sharing- Right or Wrong? Essay -- Internet File Sharing Ess

Music File-Sharing- Right or Wrong? To file share or not to file share? That is the question. Should free music off the internet be legal? Who is in the right- Napster or the music industry? There are some of the topics I hoped to discuss when I invited four journalists to my house to debate the controversial issue of online music. Ding-dong! â€Å"Uh-oh†, I think, wiping my hands on a paper towel. â€Å"They must be here early.† It’s six-thirty, my guests aren’t due to arrive until seven, and I am already a half-hour behind. The lobsters are still boiling on the stove, the chunky potatoes are rock-hard and my spinach salad lies in pieces all over the kitchen floor. Things aren’t off to such a good start. I am supposed to be hosting a small, informal discussion tonight with a few journalists. The topic of the forum concerns the recent legal uproar about online music organizations such as Napster, Morpheus and Kazaa. I have invited a variety of people; some of whom have clashing opinions. I am looking forward to a heated and intellectual discussion; which will be good because I am planning on writing a book on the subject of online music. I haven’t decided yet whose side I am on; the music industry or the internet music providers. Hopefully, tonight’s discussion will provide me with some insight as to which side to stand on. Or maybe, I won’t have to choose a side†¦who knows? As I walk to the front door, I can’t help but feel just a little bit anxious, but excited at the same time. â€Å"I wonder who it is†¦who had the nerve to be fifteen minutes early?† I think to myself. I open the great oak door to find Tobey Grumet, a journalist from Popular Mechanics magazine. â€Å"How’s it going?† he asks casually as he ... ... on the issue of online file-sharing. Each of them had to take an opinion on the subject because it is part of their job. And, for the most part, I don’t believe there was any kind of prior incentive to their taking one side or the other. Each of them has an extensive technological background and I think they looked at the issue pretty objectively. I learned a lot about online music from this project. I never realized what an important part of the technology community it plays. It is fun to download free music, rate it, and perhaps even discuss it with fellow music lovers. And it is convenient and thrifty to be able to check out albums before you decide to buy them. My final decision is that online music is a positive aspect of the internet that I hope, somehow, will continue to remain free and entertain music lovers through the means of the internet.

New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management

Why Do We Need Professional Human Resource Management in Retailing? Such terms as globalization, process management, and value-based management dominate the current discussion of management in retail co mpanies. There has been an increasing realization that people are one of a company’s key assets. Re- tail means working and serving customers in a direct, personal way. This calls for special actions from retail companies to fulfill the demands of an increasing num- ber of well-informed and sophisticated consumers.In view of all the c hanges in both national and international contexts, it is ab solutely essential to get the right people if a business is to be successful and sustainable. Retailing is a major labor-intensive industry sector. The refore, companies are continually challenged to re-organize and adapt their st ructures to become more efficient. The necessity for part-time workers, because of long store opening hours and peaks in the trading day/week, requires a flexi ble framework to optimize labor processes. Emotionally, the workforce needs orientation and vi sion in changing times.Human resource management (HRM) has to provide a â€Å"coach,† not only to organize, but also to support employees and m anagement mentally and p rofes- sionally in fulfilling their tasks in terms of future company goals. People are the driving force behind all transactio ns that occur in retailing outlets. In the future world of retailing, there will be an increasing need to adapt and change towards a more formative and proactive style of HRM. M. Krafft and M. K. Mantrala (eds. ), Retailing in the 21st Century: Current and Future Trends , DOI 10. 007/978-3-540-72003-4_16, ? Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010 257 258 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick Changes Changes in Retail The formats of retailing have been evolving continuously over the last 100 years, and individual retailers have changed tremendously in the products they sell and in the man ner in which they operate. Retailing of lifestyle products impacts directly on the changing culture of our societies—one has only to think of the introduction of the Sony Walkman or the Apple I-Pod to grasp the international range of con- sumer needs.In order to provide an expanding product and service range, retail has had to alter and amend its approaches to satisfy ever more voracious and in- creasingly sophisticated consumers. For several years, retailers have had a promi- nent role in today’s society in their capacity as employers: the retail industry em- ploys one in nine of the UK workforce, for example (Gilbert 2003). Nearly two thirds of employees are female. Therefore, special concepts in HRM are require d to allow for the compatibility of work and family.Gilbert (2003) also points out that: â€Å"[T]he retail sector has had a reputation for not supporting its employees and for having lower pay and longer hours than other sectors. † Future HRM h as to find a practical ap proach that will lead to the right balance of companies’ and employees’ needs in terms of pay ment and hours for the workforce, and service guarantees for their customers. The developments in many European countries show the changing attitudes of young university graduates for whom retailing now provides modern and attractive career pro spects.However, retailing is still far from the first choice for top graduates and this needs to change. Environmental factors such as economic, social, political, cultural, and demo- graphic developments are driving the rapid changes in the retail business. Retail management and HRM departments have to be aware of all these changes. Some of the environmental factors are described below. New Forms of Trading New trading formats have been the lifeline allowing businesses to gain and sus- tain competitive advantage. New t rading form ats are constantly appearing at both ends of the spectrum.Higher margin goods, sometim es even with designer labels, have coexisted with the increasing demand for more aggressive pricing such as that app lied by hypermarkets, off-price retailers, and hard discounters. Often, consumers switch from smaller local stores to supermarkets, and increas- ing numbers of consumers are using new channels for Internet and TV shopping. The international press reports the continuing success of new fo rms of online retailing (e-tailing) in Europe and the USA, as well as rapid changes in Eastern Europe and Asia in use of the Internet.Within these trading formats, new pro- fessions, working careers, and functions are developing very fast. To succeed, HRM has to recognize and manage these changes in retailing human resource requirements. Exchange of knowledge is one of the basic prerequisites: For ex- New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 259 ample, the German retailer METRO Group is installing software that will allow knowledge shar ing with sy stematic tr ansfer of all n ecessary infor mation and skills to METRO Group sites throughout the world.It is imperative for a retailer to co llect and struct ure all exper ience and knowledge fro m d ifferent staffs, stores and country-markets. The challenge in the future for retail company man- agement i n general and HRM in particular will be t o ensure t hat th e right knowledge is available at the right time and in the right place. Consumer Behavior Closely aligned with the expansion of new trading formats are the changing needs of consumers.Increasing social acceptance of women in the labor force has led to the emergence of a new l ifestyle and changed consumer purchasing patterns over the last seve ral decades (Gilbert 2003). Present-day consumers are m ore experi- enced, more aware of their important role in the business, and more self-confident than previous generations. Further, as international retailers have found out, there is a great need for retail chains to adapt to ‘local’ ways, so as to fulfill regional needs and shopping habits, especially in the food business (e. g. , see c hapter by Mierdorf, Mantrala and Krafft in this book).Technology Let us consider what retailing looked like 20-30 years ago: little or no EPOS tech- nology, electro-mechanical tills, paper-driven accounting, checking and co mptom- eter systems, perhaps enhanced by a ‘Kim ball tag’ system to aid stock replenish- ment. Thirty years ago there were not even many supermarkets—self-service was just appearing over the horizon for some modern retailers in the 1960s and 1970s. The advent of increasing computerization in the late 1970s started to affect busi- nesses as they adapted to possibilities that began to open up through IT-supported working practices.Processes for controlling, distribution, payroll, accounting and, especially, merchandise management systems started to be aut omated during the early 1980s. E DI, scanning, and bar-coding were im plemented—after he avy IT investments—to lower costs and increase accuracy levels. Many organizations were downsized and refocused as these manual processes were converted to more cus- tomer-focused activities and professional supply chain management. Structural Trends and Competition In Europe and USA, retailing is characterized by increasing rates of market con- centration.This is caused by shareholders’ requirements for more cost-effective operations, mergers among suppliers, and the growth of technology. Future retail- ers have to be fast and flexible in making decisions about worldwide sourcing and selling. This calls fo r people to acquire skills and competencies that will allow them to compete successfully in both national and international contexts. Interna- 260 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick tional HRM has to consider different ways of working with people: in many Euro- pean countries, HRM departments have to cooperate with works councils, which influence companiesà ¢â‚¬â„¢ management thinking.HRM has the role of developing and defining human working processes fai rly an d prov iding for capability-oriented working conditions. Germany’s political debate about the consequences of capital- ism in 2005 shows the need for companies to act and communicate on the basis of consistent and balanced argumentation. HRM needs executives who are familiar with developments going on in a society, shifts in cultural values and behavior. To be competitive in global markets, many organizations reduce staffing levels and change to automated processes to lower costs.Beyo nd this, h owever, more pro- gressive ret ailers, s uch as Carrefour, M ETRO G roup and Wal-Mart, have ex – panded their offerings: they have i nvested heavily in new product ranges, new trading f ormats, and joint v entures, o r i n shapi ng an d spreading t heir bra nds. Merely cutting investments, e. g. , in the sales force, or opening stores around the world per se i s not enough to meet the demands of the new retail age. A clear strategy, stable and IT-supported processes, and correct allocation of financial and management resources are needed for international success the future. Globalization of SourcingSourcing from overseas vendors gathered momentum with the conclusion of trad- ing agreements with, for example, the Peop le’s Republic of China and grants of ‘favored nation’ status. Manufacturing’s importance has decreased enormously in most W estern countries since the em erging Asi an â€Å"t igers† a nd l ess expensive Eastern European manufacturers began to dominate the supply of goods, espe- cially, nonfood goods, to the industrialized countries. Consequently, in the West, distribution has become one of t he most promising sources of improved margins as new technology drives down the cost of logistics.However, with globalization of sourcing, it has become imperative to develop special strategies to enable the headqu arters workforce to be aware of international processes, markets, and com- petitors. Further, domestic retail companies anywhere have to also stay on top of emerging global trends. Companies that plan to enter new foreign markets have to carefully consider local cultures, religious values, and national laws in developing their new market entry strategies. All the developments mentioned above are stron gly interrelated.Retail man- agement and HRM have to jointly examine all these change s to m ake adequate and appropriate adaptations to organizational structures, systems, and processes. Changing Role of HR Departments HR departments—originally called payroll departments, then relabeled staff man- agement, followed by another m etamorphosis to personnel and then to human resource management—have been in the vanguard of change management in re- New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 261 tailing. Many companies have recognized that HRM is an essen tial componen t in achieving long-term success, and not just a means of recruiting workers.Areas such as the recruitment process, selection, induction, retention, performance moni- toring and evaluations, staff training, development and motivation. Decision mak- ing, and re-sourcing for expansion will continue to demand the professionalism of HRM workers. Personnel in different kinds of businesses have to adapt and change in response to emerging trends. The international HRM professional has to think globally, while rem aining ab le t o fu lfill lo cal asp irations. This i dea is based on Geert Hofstede’s theory of cultures. He turned the well-known slogan, â€Å"Think globally, act locally† into: â€Å"Act g lobally, think locally. A major task of th e international HRM professional is to provide expertise in terms of interpretations of the local laws and working practices, so as to offer practical steps for successful operation of the international retailer. Building the Future à ¢â‚¬â€œ HRM Challenges for Retailers Retailing means working in a g lobal con text but sim ultaneously adjusti ng to local needs. We describe below some international challenges to HRM in retail which are connected with national and local requirements. As mentioned above, major retail com panies have decided to invest globally to en sure greater po ten- tial for sustainable growth.Several ret ailers have identified internationalization as a huge oppor tunity for growth. In 2006, about 50 % of the METRO Group’s employees work ed ou tside Germany. Th e Am erican retail g iant Wal -Mart, France’s Carrefour, and United Kingdom’s Tesco are thr ee more organizations that are aggressively pursuing international expansion. This immediately gives rise to qu estions that require answers in every ar ea of operati on. An swering these questions is key to successful transformation of a national business model into an international one.HRM strategy builds on the business stra tegy of the firm. The HR persons in charge have to be b usiness partners for management, providing strategic and practical operational solutions in the form of HR concepts or staffing solutions based on thorough know ledge of the bu siness. Wal -Mart’s initial attempt at expansion in Germany failed—as did Marks and Spencer’s—because neither of these companies appreciated the nuances of German retail culture, underestimat- ing local competition and, especially, the price sensitivity of German customers.Carrefour’s for ays i nto the United Kingdom lik ewise end ed with a strategic retreat. As long ago as in 1989, Dawson stated that: â€Å"Retail is a response to cul- ture†Ã¢â‚¬â€and the HRM function plays a c rucial role in assisting corporate man- agement understand and adapt to local cultures. For example, UK consumers’ resistance to th e use of self- scanners p rovided b y some retailers to r educe queues at checkou ts might have be en anticipated by HR managers interacting with local employees. 262 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen PickStrategic Tasks of HRM: Key strategic tasks of human resource management of an international retailer include: ? Assisting the retailer’s top managers who work well over 60 hours a week negotiating myriad complex issues in a competitive marketplace, cope with stress arising from quick changes, fierce competition, cost pressures, time management problems, and the need to make quick decisions. ? Keeping up to date with continuously developing technology and being able to optimize its usage so as to achieve the right balance between pro- ductivity gains and service gains.HR needs to find answers to the follow- ing question: How much technology can customers and the workforce han- dle in the store? ? Dealing with demography, e. g. , an aging workforce in Western Europe but predominantly young and inexperienced employees in other areas of the world, such as Asia and the M iddle East. Strategically, this poses one of the hardest challenges for HR professionals who are required to recruit and develop t alented st aff, offer t raining f or all age gr oups, ens ure a well- balanced age structure, and build up a working climate enabling employees of all ages to buy in and show suitable results. Cross-cultural recruiting and training: All cultures have their own unique practices and emphases, some of which are obvious while others are more subtle and harder to detect. HR departments need to be able not only to of- fer advice and professional preparation to local managers but also ensure that individuals appointed to these positions are aware of company policies as well as sensitive to the local culture. That is, in international settings, in- dividuals need both a common language and intercultural sensitivity. Identifying and retaining highly qualified, highly motivated individuals ready for international management appointments: The role of HRM is to prov ide an international assignment policy that takes into account individual prob- lems of expatriates, works around and supports family integration abroad. Operational Tasks of HRM: Some key HRM tasks that have to be fulfilled to enable the workforce to meet the needs of customers nationally and internationally include: ?Reshaping and r estructuring the workforce so as t o broaden their e xperi- ence by the acquisition of n ew skills: Developments like automatic stock replenishment, new methods of conducting transactions, and alterations to the way goods are displayed, have increased retailer employee training re- quirements. Also employees must learn to serve increasingly litigious con- sumers wh ile main taining h igh productivity wh ich is essen tial in h igh- volume, l ow-margin e nterprises.P rofessional human reso urce m anagers must train employees on how to balance these oft-conflicting demands for high staff-productivity and great customer service. New Challenges in Retail Hu man Resource Management 263 HR Challenges General Conditions ?Company Strategy ?Added Value Management ?Change Management ?Recruitment and Retention ?Employability and Lifelong Learning ?Corporate Governance ?Technology / IT Infrastructure Fig. 1. Challenges and General Conditions for HRM ? The critical resource of most businesses is no longer financial capital, but rather their employees (Barber, Strack 2005).Consequently, identifying and gathering the data for human capital valuation and assessment of the return on human resource investments is an important task for HR managers. ? HRM itself must develop, moving from being a ‘personnel’ department to its new role as a strategic business partner and building the basic structural foundation that will enable companies to organize and optimize their return on human resources. The emerging trends that persistently need HR attention currently include some of the areas discussed below.We m ake a di stinction between HR chal lenges and general conditions (Figure 1). In the case of HR challenges HRM has direct influ- ence, while general conditions are contingencies within which HRM has to oper- ate. This list is not exhaustive, but looks at some selected current trends and needs. Current HR Challenges ? Company Strategy. HRM has to adapt its entire program to the company’s overall vision and strategy. It is known that organizations with good human capital management generally create substantially more shareholder value than other companies.The significance of human capital is especially visi- ble in the case of a merger. The success of a merger depends much more on the competencies of the staff and m anagement than on other aspects, such as finance, IT, and production. Hax and Majluf (1991) feel that it is there- fore essential for well-planned practices and highly efficient HR functions to be aligned with the business of the company concerned. An HR strategy must be ‘com prehensive’ in the sense of addressing all the different per- sonnel and HR activities central to the long-term development of the firm’s businesses.HRM departments have to conceptualize and structure business 264 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick plans with detailed operations extending from the current to the future state of strategy, organization, and action. These must be based on the organiza- tion’s mission and common values. ? Added Value Management. This confronts HRM with the critical q uestion of what actions add m easurable value to the business. There is less cer- tainty about the central direction and more about committed management setting the right tone within the organization for defined values to flourish.Commitment in the form of personal engagement and belief in the organi- zation and its concepts is important. HRM has to support this by elaborat- ing concepts and criteria for their evaluation, some of which should be re- vised annually. The following behavioral aspects of the workforce should be included in the HRM concept: ? Personal Honesty and Integrity ? Self-Motivation and Entrepreneurial Style ? Ability to Communicate the Values and Benefits ? Encouraging Others to Want to Work with the Company and Share its Values; Pride in the Company Training and Developing, Coaching, and Mentoring ? Change Management. The most important drivers for change are globaliza- tion, technology, and a workforce that is in creasingly knowledge-based. Ulrich has stated that there is a need to redefine firms’ performance less in terms of cutting cost and more in terms of profitable growth (Ulrich 1997). Managers have to be able to make changes happen of their own volition and also to support the company in its drive for sustained success. Manag- ers have to be able to empower their own staff.Moss Kanter (1989) states that it is only through true empowerment that staff will really contribute to the changing needs of a busi ness, since they will then be doing things be- cause they understand them and for the right reasons, thinking and reflect- ing on the changes and t heir likely impact, and above all feeling at ease with the implementation of change. Change management recognizes the need to reflect on t he manager’s role in the management of cha nge, the identification of problems, and the ability to make changes in either a pro- grammed or a no nprogrammed manner.HRM has to take accoun t of the risks required for the achievement of change in the company. ? Recruitment and Retention. Employee recruitment and selection is one the most vital HR functions. However, the retail industry is faced with difficul- ties in attracting highly educated people. Nonetheless there is a po sitive trend for change. The challenge for HRM is to show the attractiveness of the retail sector a nd ensure that appropriate training and careers are avail- able, so that this sector can take a leading place in t he competition for availab le talent.Retail has recently been promoting opening up access to its workforce by declared rejection of discrimination on the grounds of gender New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 265 or race, and, lately, also by employing more elderly persons. It is also nec- essary to build up programs for part-time workers. The ability to value di- versity within the workforce is a strength, provided that this is backed up by continuous training and correctness. Many organizations run courses on this aspect, usually under the title of ‘Inc reasing Self-awareness,’ as t he ability to understand one’s impact on others is a powerful skill.Next, reten- tion focuses on the goal of keep well-performing staff in the company. This depends not only on interesting work, fair compensation, and a motivating climate and management culture, but also on transparent and achievable ca- reer paths combined with a supportive management that provides guidance. ? Employability and Continuing Education. This is a major area of challenge to most employers, but especially those who employ large numbers of staff, as retailers do. Staff have to take retraining in order to adapt to a constantly changing external environment.It is a question of mind-set, working envi- ronment, and attitude towards self-responsibility. The future will be charac- terized by the following needs, amongst others: ? The need to handle increasing complexity. ? The need f or co ntinual enh ancement of th e ma nagement skill sets known as ‘Life-Long Learning,’ i. e. the ability to adapt to changing en- vironments, challenges and technology. ? The need for a positive attitude to newly emerging opportunities: Manag- ers themselves have to become life-long learners.This is of particular im- portance to the changing generations. The process can be aimed, for ex- ample, at obtaining further business qualifications, such as an M BA, a marketing diploma, or HRM qualifications, or atte nding training courses on key skills, such as lead ership, or personal development workshops. Some universities are now of fering master’s degree courses on wor k- based learning in which projects are directly related to the learning envi- ronment of the individual s tudent’s workplace.Analysis of actual workproblems can be counted as a credit toward an MA o r an MSc. Classroom training fostering positive acceptance of new structures, top- ics, and technologies is necessary. ? The need to communicate regularly and precisely, and transmit meaning and values: While the company will provide support, it will be the indi- vidual managers who have to ‘drive’ their own learning and that of others in periods of intense change, often using technology such as video con- erencing or E-l earning/blended learning to pursue their studies. HRM needs to consult with managers on how best to use modern methods. ?The need for creative management: This can be the way to bring new insights into common view or to introduce new issues as an area for the HRM specialist to develop. Many managers are locked into their own reality or their own version of their world, allowing themselves to be trapped into a mind-set of either success or self-perpetuating failure. One 266 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick f the keys to successful business growth is for managers not to allow themselves to be trapped in a ‘psychic prison’ (Morgan 2001) of t heir own making, causing them always to see retail in one dimension only. Current General Conditions ? Corporate Governance. The recent case of Enron and the difficulties faced by retailers such as Sainsbury suggest that the governance of these organi- zations was grossly at fault in permitting the excessive amounts of power vested in their chief executive officers (CEOs).The nonexecutive directors seem to have abdicated their duties in not restraining the CEOs in their riskier schemes. Expansion, absolu te power, soaring costs, and misinterpre- tation of facts and figures appear to have gone unchecked and a tacit acqui- escence to have been entered into, presumably with the goal of presenting stakeholders with a picture that was m ore positive than the reality. As th e impact of the backlash is always difficult to predict, it is likely that HR di- rectors will become more closely involved in the careful examination of candidates’ integrity and suitability for high office.It is likely that this will slow t he decision-making process within t he board e nvironment, b ut i t might be a small price to pay for a more responsible environment acting in the best interests of all parties. HRM needs to motivate the entire staff of their company, to observe and evaluate the ‘political’ situation within the company, and to react in a n appropriate way that ca n influence the re- tailer’s level of success. HRM has the opportunity, and therefore the duty, to influence national and international codes of corporate governance. ? Technology/IT Infrastructure.In some of the ne w and emerging m arkets management has to decide whether to implement a total system with all branches totally aligned with the parent company. It can be prohibitively expensive for a branch at the periphery of the organization to lock into a global IT infrastructure that is geared to operations in Western countries where labor costs are very much higher. Retailers operating internationally rely on com mon platforms and IT structures; the decision to be m ade is when is the time right for investments? A major change in retailing in the future will be the worldwide use of RFID technologies.The success of the METRO Group in developing and running their â€Å"Future Store† in R heinberg as a tigh tly controlled experi- ment has ha d a strong impact on t he application of new technologies in ‘real business,’ since METRO Group has shared the results with industry and with its wholesalers, as well as its IT and logistics providers (see, e. g. , chapter by Kalyanam, Lal a nd Wolfram in this book). The scientific re- search involves customers’ reactions to the new shopping methods, and possibly also staff training in the use of intelligent technologies and intro- ductions to available information and changing processes for customers.New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 267 In conclusion, there has been, and continues to be, a great deal of activity sur- rounding staff appraisal. The management of progression, or performance moni- toring, continues to exercise HRM professionals, who wish it to be as fair as pos- sible to individuals, but also want the company to obtain maximum benefit from the exercise. While the strategy should be systematic, it also needs to be continu- ous, with a fully im plemented set of key me trics.A full look at each individual’s future, which can be a position as well as a set of personal go als, should be carried out at regu lar intervals. HRM professionals must ensure that line managers can perform this function. Next, we discuss approaches that address current HR challenges in retailing. HR Challenges General Conditions ?Company Strategy ?Added Value Management ?Change Management ?Recruitment and Retention ?Employability and Life-long Learning ?Corporate G overnance ?Technology/ IT Infrastructure Structure Motivation Fig. 2.Approaches to Challenges and General Conditions for HRM Approaches to HR Challenges in Retailing Practice Building up and Keeping Motivation As indicated in Figure 2, HRM has to en sure that the workforce is motivated and trained to satisfy consumers’ needs. Retailers have to develop the employee value proposition. This means an attractive position with the fulfillment of employee needs and expectations and achievement of a go od, unique image in terms of re- cruiting and keeping human capital. We list below some approaches to retaining an adequate sales force. HR quality cannot be assured without investment.Such investment has to be justified in economic terms and must therefore be constantly monitored: ? Planning the HR costs and expenditures for the annual business budget and forecasts ? Supplying key data needed for planning the workforce at all levels and providing benchmark data on key performance indicators, such as average working hours per store opening hour, turnover per w orking hour, profit per working hour 268 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick ? Elaboration of systems to measure the work involved in and results of HRM (training investment per employee, rate of internal job placements, etc. ? Providing common and communicated values of the com pany to give the workforce a strategic framework and common mind-set ? Creating a transparent internal job market ? Offering the staff a perspective for the future and clear career paths ? Flexible models of working times, such as part-time working concepts , an- nualized hours contracts, and balancing of profession and family with the aid of sabbaticals ?Ensuring adequate processes, tools, and budget to allow for members of the workforce to achieve their objectives and ambitions Continuing education of ex ecutives and employees within actual training programs and a corporate university ? Training the workforce in soft skills and mentoring to ensure proper align- ment of their values with the company’s values and beliefs ? Initiation of an employee suggestion/inquiry system to improve the process of cooperation ? Recruitment of talented graduates from exchange programs with universi- ties worldwide ? International education within internal exchange programs, with p artici- pants from different countries ? Apprenticeships and e ducations in new professions to build up t he best workforce Sharing company success with e mployees (incentive systems at all sta ff levels, based on parameters that are accessible to employees) ? Offerin g fringe benefits, such as discounts for shopping at the employer’s stores, company cars, equity programs, retirement arrangements, company nursery/kindergarten, and other social benefits. The Future of HRM and Final Remarks Most employees spend a substantial amount of time at work. Some people there- fore consider their job decisions on joining a retail company or some other indus- try in the cont ext of social environment.HRM has to kee p an eye on s uch con- straints, as the retail trade is anxious to attract the best employees. Future HRM will concentrate on supporting management and workforce and outsource admin- istrative tasks to contractors. In future, there will be more intensive collaboration New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 269 and networking with external parties. New professions in retail, such as that of IT specialist, are developing. HRM must also place greater emphasis on ethical work- ing conditions, safer working environments, and equal-opp ortunity policies (end- ing sex/age discrimination, inclusion of minorities, etc. . In any company, HRM has to build up trust and commitment among all persons working in that organiza- tion. Continued reliance on traditional processes is d efinitely no longer a recipe that pr omises much success. HR m anagement has t o a ssure fast a nd market- oriented actions that are appropriate to complex market situations. HRM will have to set priorities on the HR strategy and its realization, but will be viewed on the operational side more in the role of a serv ice center. In future, the issue of management development will gain even greater importance.To sum up, HRM has to be aligned with the business strategy of the company, to work in keeping with all of its corporate objectives, and to be prepared not only to help in implementing all changes necessary but also to instigate and be at the vanguard of change programs. Further, HRM should be aware of employee inter- ests within the organizatio n yet conscious of its place as the ‘power house’ when controversial business decisions, such as downsizing, have to be implemented. Lastly, it plays a key role in ensuring that constant retooling and retraining takes place in the operation to meet ever-evolving challenges.Life-long learning should be an integral part of any business, to enable it to respond to its rivals’ activities with fresh initiatives within the company. HRM specialists have to ensure the long-term performance of â€Å"their† retail or- ganizations. It is a big challenge for HRM to meet the future needs, and the task is wide ranging. How well HR managers perfo rm th eir fu nction will determin e whether a reta iler registers a sustainable success in the future. We have tried to show in this chapter the comprehensive and central role of HRM in retailing.Re- tail has been and will continue to be an exciting field of business throughout the world. The main function of the retail sector i s to wo rk with and for people all over the world, so that retail has the chance to give people interesting and fulfill- ing workplaces.References Barber, F. and Strack, R. (200 5): The Surp rising Economics of a â€Å"People Business†, in: Harvard Business Review June 2005, pp 81-90. Davies, G. (1999): The Evolution of Marks and Spencer. Service Industries Journal. 19, 3, 60-73. Dawson J. A. (2001): Strategy and opportunism in European retail internationalisation Brit- ish Journal of Management, 12, 253-266. Dawson, J. A. (2000): Retailing at Century End: some challe nges for management and re- search. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 10, 119- 148. Gilbert, D. (2003): Retail Marketing Management, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall. 270 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick Hax, A. and Majluf, N. (1991): The Strategy Concept & Process. A pragmatic Approach, Prentice Hall. Mellahi, K. , Jackson T. P. and S parks, L. (2002) : An explor atory stu dy into failure of a successful organisations: the case of Marks and Spencer, British Journal of Man age- ment, 13, 15-29. Morgan G. (2001): Images of Organisation Sage, London Moss Kanter R. (1989): When giants Learn to Dance Simon & Schuster, London Seth, A. and Randall, G. (1999): The Grocers: the rise and rise of the supermarket chains, London: Kogan Page, Social Science Research, 24, 28-62. Ulrich, D. , Losey, M. R, Lake G. editors (1997): Tomorrow’s HR Management New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ulrich, D. (199 7): Human Resources of the Future: Conclusions and Observ ations, in: Tomorrow’s HR Management, edited by Dave Ulrich, Michael R. Losey et al. , 354-360, John Wiley & Sons.

Dekalb County School System teaching Essay

Fourteen years in the Dekalb County School System teaching special education makes Dr. Monica ReVonda Ellerbe a strong believer in the value of parents’ involvement in the education of their children, especially in the elementary years. â€Å"The home has to be an extension of school, in a way that parents have to be aware of what their children are being taught on a daily basis, so there would be less discipline referrals on the part of their teachers,† Ellerbe says. Her doctorate in Education, Curriculum and Instruction from Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida was secured after having formalized and documented how learning in some American schools is made more effective due to the intervention of students’ parents, since such familial attention can address discipline concerns. Ellerbe, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint Augustine’s College in North Carolina and an M. A. in Behavioral Disorders from the Clark Atlanta University, also believes that parents’ and teachers’ role is not only to provide knowledge to children, but to point out opportunities for them to develop themselves. Parents, after all, are students’ first and lifelong teachers. As the mother of Chandler Myers Ellerbe, the daughter of loving parents John and Dorothy, and an education specialist, Monica definitely walks the talk. â€Å"Even with several feathers in my cap, my role in the family is what I most take pride in,† she says. â€Å"But I think my knowledge in education permeates in all aspects of my life. † As a holistic educator, however, Ellerbe does not limit her academic interests in behavior and parental involvement. She has also received certifications in ESOL endorsement, gifted endorsement, language arts, mathematics and social science. She is also involved in several professional organizations namely Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, National Education Association (NEA), Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), Organization of Dekalb Educators (ODE), Georgia Association of Gifted Children (GAGC) and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). #

Battle of Five Forks - Civil War

Battle of Five Forks - Civil War Battle of Five Forks - Conflict: The Battle of Five Forks occurred during the American Civil War  (1861-1865). Battle of Five Forks - Dates: Sheridan routed Picketts men on April 1, 1865. Armies Commanders: Union Major General Philip H. SheridanMajor General Gouverneur K. Warren17,000 men Confederates Major General George E. Pickett9,200 men Battle of Five Forks - Background: In late March 1865, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Major General Philip H. Sheridan to push south and west of Petersburg with the goal of turning Confederate General Robert E. Lees right flank and forcing him from the city. Advancing with the Army of the Potomacs Cavalry Corps and Major General Gouverneur K. Warrens V Corps, Sheridan sought to capture the vital crossroads of Five Forks which would allow him to threaten the Southside Railroad. A key supply line into Petersburg, Lee moved swiftly to defend the railroad. Dispatching Major General George E. Pickett to the area with a division of infantry and Major Gen. W.H.F. Rooney Lees cavalry, he issued orders for them to block the Union advance. On March 31, Pickett succeeded in stalling Sheridans cavalry at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House. With Union reinforcements en route, Pickett was forced to fall back to Five Forks before dawn on April 1. Arriving, he received a note from Lee stating Hold Five Forks at all hazards. Protect road to Fords Depot and prevent Union forces from striking the Southside Railroad. Battle of Five Forks - Sheridan Advances: Entrenching, Picketts forces awaited the anticipated Union assault. Eager to move quickly with the goal of cutting off and destroying Picketts force, Sheridan advanced intending to hold Pickett in place with his cavalry while V Corps struck the Confederate left. Moving slowly due to muddy roads and faulty maps, Warrens men were not in position to attack until 4:00 PM. Though the delay angered Sheridan, it benefited the Union in that the lull led to Pickett and Rooney Lee leaving the field to attend a shad bake near Hatchers Run. Neither informed their subordinates that they were leaving the area. As the Union attack moved forward, it quickly became clear that V Corps had deployed too far to the east. Advancing through the underbrush on a two division front, the left division, under Major General Romeyn Ayres, came under enfilading fire from the Confederates while the Major General Samuel Crawfords division on the right missed the enemy entirely. Halting the attack, Warren desperately worked to realign his men to attack west. As he did so, an irate Sheridan arrived and joined with Ayres men. Charging forward, they smashed into the Confederate left, breaking the line. Battle of Five Forks - Confederates Enveloped: As the Confederates fell back in an attempt to form a new defensive line, Warrens reserve division, led by Major General Charles Griffin, came into line next to Ayres men. To the north, Crawford, at Warrens direction, wheeled his division into line, enveloping the Confederate position. As V Corps drove the leaderless Confederates before them, Sheridans cavalry swept around Picketts right flank. With Union troops pinching in from both sides, the Confederate resistance broke and those able to escape fled north. Due to atmospheric conditions, Pickett was unaware of the battle until it was too late. Battle of Five Forks - Aftermath: The victory at Five Forks cost Sheridan 803 killed and wounded, while Picketts command incurred 604 killed and wounded, as well as 2,400 captured. Immediately following the battle, Sheridan relieved Warren of command and placed Griffin in charge of V Corps. Angered by Warrens slow movements, Sheridan ordered him to report to Grant. Sheridans actions effectively wrecked Warrens career, though he was exonerated by a board of inquiry in 1879. The Union victory at Five Forks and their presence near the Southside Railroad forced Lee to consider abandoning Petersburg and Richmond. Seeking to take advantage of Sheridans triumph, Grant ordered a massive assault against Petersburg the next day. With his lines broken, Lee began retreating west towards his eventual surrender at Appomattox on April 9. For its role in keying the final movements of the war in the East, Five Forks is often referred to as the Waterloo of the Confederacy.

Accelerating Growth Between Marketing and Sales With Steli Efti

Accelerating Growth Between Marketing and Sales With Steli Efti Do you enjoy your morning commute? Do you use that time to figure out what you want to accomplish? Goals you want to crush? It can be a peaceful time to think about various projects and who to work with to make things happen. Today, we’re talking to Steli Efti, co-founder and CEO of Close.io, about the intersection of inbound marketing and outbound sales. We discuss where to start, how to work collaboratively, how to grow and scale practices, and HUCA. Some of the highlights of the show include: Starts with customers if you’ve had success with inbound marketing and data to identify ideal/non-ideal customers, that’s the foundation of outbound sales Outbound Strategy: Ask customers for advice on how to sell to them Be vulnerable when doing sales, ask for help, and create an MVP for insights Decision-maker milestones to reach through outbound efforts that can be improved, replicated, and scaled Not all sales reps are created equal; requires consistency and persistence Would I want to buy from this person? Would I want to buy something from this person that I don’t really want to buy? Salesperson Characteristics: Knowledgeable, influencing, trustful, confident, authentic, honest, competitive, and adaptive Depending on your buyers, send emails or make calls to reach them Hang Up and Call Again (HUCA): Philosophy that applies to trying again to get everything you want in life Get outbound sales and inside marketing to work together to understand what they’re trying to accomplish and what insights they’re gathering Links: Close.io Steli Efti’s Blog Steli Efti Keynote Steli Efti’s Email (subject: bundle, and refer to AMP) Send suggested AMP topics If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Steli Efti: â€Å"My entrepreneurial superpower has always been sales and marketing. I’ve always been communicating to drive things forward and to make my businesses succeed.† â€Å"Most of the advice that I give is super obvious stuff, but it’s stuff that people don’t want to do.† â€Å"Just ask a bunch of your customers to give you advice on how to sell to them from an outbound perspective.† â€Å"What separates a great from the good is real consistency and persistency.† If you sound confident and comfortable, it’s going to make me feel like I should stay on the phone and keep listening.

Indecent Behavior in Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Indecent Behavior in Social Media - Essay Example Overt sexuality and vulgar language are the most common areas of indecency identified in the media. However, even with the predominant religion is Christianity, the American culture is growing more and more tolerant and secular, which is impacting the media’s ability to push the envelope. This pushing of the envelope is visible in many of the popular television programs today. For example, with the television program called The Vampire Diaries, the network presented advertisements for the show which stated: â€Å"Catch VD† and â€Å"Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate† which were accompanied by sexualized pictures of the show’s cast(Weiss, 2011). The age group for this show is largely young teenagers, so by advertising in this manner, it illustrates that this sexualized â€Å"indecent† behaviour is becoming more and more accepted by younger and younger audiences. The Parent’s Television Council keeps an eye on the media for things such as this and makes sure to discourage people from watching it and keeps itself a visible force in the media as a group which displays public disagreement with the indecent behaviour portrayed on television. An additional example is the popular reality show known as Jersey Shore. According to the article entitled â€Å"MTV’s Jersey Shore Rides Bad Waves After Viewers Respond,† this reality show promotes a variety of indecent behaviours such as sexual promiscuity, drinking, smoking, and vulgar language(Griffin, 2009). The show pulls in millions of viewers every week and has become one of MTV’s most watched television programs with its stars becoming wealthy and famous. The popularity of this program indicates that people have become more accepting of bad behaviour and are coming to see it as interesting rather than indecent. Ultimately, it is this distinction which has led to the overall change in what our media and society allows: the interesting factor.  Ã‚  

Literature Review of Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education

Of Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education - Literature review Example Also instrumental in improving the internal and external communications in the organization and monitoring performance of organizations against strategic goals and objectives, the balanced score card has extensive usage and gained acceptance in almost all sectors of the market. Originated by Doctor Kaplan and Doctor David Norton as a framework for performance measurement adding to the strategic non-financial performance measures to the conventional financial metrics, they have provided this framework for executives and managers for assessing the overall and balanced view of the performance of organizations (Schmeisser, 2011, p.194). The balanced score card presents an integrated result oriented collection of key performance measures including financial and non financial measures which comprises both the present performance of the firm and also its future performance drivers. The main premise of the score card is based on the fact that financial evaluations alone are not enough for ca pturing the value-adding activities. Kaplan and Norton (1992), suggests that apart from using financial measures firms must also develop a comprehensive framework of other measures as indicators or predictors of financial performance too (Beard, 2009, p.1). ... The following diagram would highlight on the different performance measures and their linkages in the balanced score card. Figure 1: The Balanced Scorecard links Performance Measures (Source: Kaplan & Norton, 1992, p.72) 2. Characteristics of Balanced Scorecard Characteristics of the scorecard is the presentation of the combination of financial and non financial measures each of which is compared with a target value within a concise and single report. The most unique characteristic of this scorecard is that it determines the most relevant and crucial information by capturing information which is most relevant for the business. Based on the vision of an enterprise, strategies are formulated and derived from its goals. For measuring the achievement of the objectives, relevant characteristic numbers can be assigned to these goals. This translates the enterprise strategy into figures which can then be communicated towards all divisions in the company and therefore can communicate the str ategy to all workers in the company (Welz, 2007, p.7). In this way every worker adept to which goals need to be attained first in order to attain the desired objectives of the business. Link between the strategic level and the operational level can be reached by the derivative by further sub goals and relevant figures from the strategy for each department. Because of the fact that the balanced scorecard considers goals which are directly linked with the success of the organization it remains succinct and concise (Niven, 2006, p.xxi). The concept of the balanced score card is to include information and data from all divisions of the organization under the controlling of entrepreneurial success. This is the reason why it is perceived